Osteochondral Tissue Engineering with Biphasic Scaffold: Current Strategies and Techniques

Abstract

The management of osteoarthritis (OA) remains challenging and controversial. Although several clinical options exist for the treatment of OA, regeneration of the damaged articular cartilage has proved difficult due to the limited healing capacity. With the advancements in tissue engineering and cell-based technologies over the past decade, new therapeutic options for patients with osteochondral lesions potentially exist. This review will focus on the feasibility of tissue-engineered biphasic scaffolds, which can mimic the native osteochondral complex, for osteochondral repair and highlight the recent development of these techniques toward tissue regeneration. Moreover, basic anatomy, strategy for osteochondral repair, the design and fabrication methods of scaffolds, as well as the choice of cells, growth factor, and materials will be discussed. Specifically, we focus on the latest preclinical animal studies using large animals and clinical trials with high clinical relevance. In turn, this will facilitate an understanding of the latest trends in osteochondral repair and contribute to the future application of such clinical therapies in patients with OA.

Porous magnesium-based scaffolds for tissue engineering

“…Cartilage nutrition is supported by the subchondral bone plate, thus any damages such as osteochondral defects can prevent regenerating cartilage. In such cases, using a biodegradable scaffold as the subchondral bone plate can enhance the cartilage healing process [112][113][114]. Ideal scaffolds in subchondral bone plate tissue engineering should provide adequate mechanical stability, appropriate pore size, sufficient porosity, and optimized programmed degradation.…”

Recent Strategies in Osteochondral Substitutes Design: Towards the Mimicking of a Multifaceted Anatomical Unit from the Nano to the Macro Level

“…Engineering multilayer scaffolds with controlled properties in each layer could allow the replication of the local microenvironment of the osteochondral tissue. For satisfying the biological requirements, an osteochondral implant should ideally have a rigid osseous layer (to support the overlying cartilage and integrate with the native bone) and a chondral layer (to enable the seeding and proliferation of chondrocytes or mesenchymal stem cells and subsequent deposition of cartilaginous extracellular matrix) [31]. Moreover, the integrated materials can transfer physical or chemical stimuli from the cartilage to the bone layers, because the interface tissue is exposed to shear forces over a large range of motion.…”

Cellular and Acellular Approaches for Cartilage Repair

“…They suggested that by designing osteochondral scaffolds with a tissue-specific architecture, it may be possible to enhance osteochondral repair within a shorter time frame. 12 Shimomura et al 13 also discussed thoroughly the use of tissue-engineered biphasic scaffolds for osteochondral repair, which can mimic the native osteochondral complex. I agree that it is important to understand the process from the bone area via the calcified zone into pure cartilaginous tissue to one day be able to restore a cartilage defect by regeneration.…”